Service Delivery Engineer, SRE

Job Summary

PhonePe is looking for a Service Delivery Engineer (SRE) to join their dynamic team in Bangalore. In this role, you will be instrumental in building, managing, and scaling PhonePe’s production systems to ensure uninterrupted service for millions of users across India. This position requires a minimum of 1-3 years of hands-on experience in Linux/Unix system administration and is suitable for recent graduates from the 2024 batch with relevant prior experience or internships. You'll work on critical infrastructure, perform routine maintenance, deploy vulnerability fixes, and contribute to the reliability and performance of one of India's largest digital payments platforms.

Overview

Headquartered in India, PhonePe has rapidly emerged as a leading digital payments platform, launched in August 2016. As of April 2025, PhonePe boasts an impressive user base of over 60 Crore (600 Million) registered users and a vast digital payments acceptance network spanning over 4 Crore (40+ million) merchants. The platform processes over 33 Crore (330+ Million) transactions daily, with an Annualized Total Payment Value (TPV) exceeding INR 150 lakh crore. PhonePe's expanding portfolio includes the distribution of financial products such as Insurance, Lending, and Wealth, alongside innovative consumer tech businesses like Pincode (hyperlocal e-commerce) and Indus AppStore (a localized App Store for the Android ecosystem). These ventures are strategically aligned with the company’s vision to empower every Indian by providing equal opportunities to accelerate their progress through seamless money flow and access to essential services.

At PhonePe, the culture emphasizes empowerment, trust, and ownership. Employees are encouraged to bring their best selves to work every day, operate with autonomy from inception to completion, and solve complex problems with agility and purpose. The company prides itself on building frameworks from scratch, fostering an environment where innovation thrives. If you are excited by the prospect of building platforms that impact millions, collaborating with some of the brightest minds in the country, and executing your dreams with speed, PhonePe offers an unparalleled growth journey.

The SRE - System Delivery team at PhonePe is a crucial, cross-functional, centralized, and horizontal unit. This team collaborates extensively with other SRE teams to develop and maintain various infrastructure services. Their core responsibilities include routine production management activities, such as infrastructure scaling, comprehensive database maintenance, and the crucial rollout of operating system vulnerability fixes. As a Service Delivery Engineer within this team, you will contribute directly to maintaining the stability and performance of PhonePe's vast and critical production environment, ensuring high availability and reliability of services for users nationwide. This role is foundational to PhonePe's operational excellence, providing a unique opportunity to work on cutting-edge distributed systems and large-scale infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and manage various distributed systems, including Galera, Nginx, Aerospike, ElasticSearch, and RMQ.
• Deploy operating system vulnerability fixes to production systems regularly.
• Perform routine database maintenance activities to ensure optimal performance and health.
• Build and roll out proxy configurations to production systems.
• Understand and internalize the criticality of production infrastructure, maintaining a high level of vigilance.
• Be willing to work 24/7 rotational shifts and provide on-call support across the SRE Organisation to ensure continuous service availability.

Eligibility

This Service Delivery Engineer (SRE) role at PhonePe is an excellent opportunity for recent graduates from the 2024 batch who possess 1-3 years of hands-on experience in Linux/Unix System Administration. While the platform primarily caters to freshers and recent graduates, this particular position requires a foundational level of practical experience, making it suitable for those who have gained relevant exposure through prior roles, internships, or extensive project work. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in managing Linux systems using CLI tools, hands-on experience with disk and LVM management, and a solid understanding of system services, package management, and file permissions. Familiarity with Crontab for task scheduling and a clear grasp of DNS concepts are also essential. Practical knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using tools like Salt or Ansible, along with strong database concepts including Shards, Partitions, and Truncations, is critical. Proficiency in Bash and Python scripting for automation and troubleshooting is a core requirement. Candidates should also have a good understanding of the criticality of production infrastructure and be prepared for 24/7 rotational shifts and on-call support. A proactive mindset, strong problem-solving abilities, and excellent interpersonal communication skills are highly valued.

Required Skills

• Linux CLI Tools for System Administration: Proficiency in using command-line tools for managing Linux systems effectively.
• Disk & LVM Management: Hands-on experience with disk management and Logical Volume Manager (LVM) for storage configuration.
• System Services: Understanding of managing and configuring essential system services.
• Package Management: Understanding of package management tools and processes (e.g., yum, apt) for software installation and updates.
• File Permissions: Comprehensive understanding of Linux file permission systems (e.g., chmod, chown).
• Crontab & Scheduling: Understanding of cron jobs for automating and scheduling tasks.
• DNS Concepts: Solid understanding of DNS (Domain Name System) and its configuration.
• Using Salt/Ansible for IaC: Understanding of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles and practical experience with tools like Salt or Ansible.
• Database Concepts & Administration: Understanding of core database concepts such as Shards, Partitions, and Truncations.
• Bash / Python Scripting: Proficiency in writing and debugging Bash and Python scripts for automation, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
• MariaDB or similar Distributed Database Systems (Plus): Knowledge of distributed databases like MariaDB for high-availability setups.
• Docker or similar Containerization technology (Plus): Familiarity with containerization platforms like Docker.
• Nginx or similar Proxy technology (Plus): Experience with Nginx or other proxy technologies for load balancing and request routing.
• GIT (Plus): Understanding of version control systems like GIT for code management.
• Basic Networking Concepts (Plus): Fundamental knowledge of networking principles and protocols.
• Linux-based Firewall (Plus): Experience with configuring and managing Linux firewalls (e.g., iptables, firewalld).
• Basic understanding of HTTP & TLS Security (Plus): Knowledge of HTTP protocol and TLS for secure communication.
• Ability to write Python based scripts for various automations (Plus): Strong capability in using Python for system automation tasks.
• Good Interpersonal Communication Skills: Ability to communicate effectively with team members and stakeholders.
• Ability to understand & follow SOPs: Diligence in adhering to Standard Operating Procedures for consistency and reliability.

Benefits

• Medical Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Accidental Insurance, Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program, Onsite Medical Center, Emergency Support System
• Maternity Benefit, Paternity Benefit Program, Adoption Assistance Program, Day-care Support Program
• Relocation benefits, Transfer Support Policy, Travel Policy
• Employee PF Contribution, Flexible PF Contribution, Gratuity, NPS, Leave Encashment
• Higher Education Assistance, Car Lease, Salary Advance Policy

Selection Process

The selection process for the Service Delivery Engineer (SRE) role at PhonePe is designed to identify candidates with strong technical acumen, problem-solving skills, and cultural fit. It typically involves several stages:

1. Application Review: Your resume and cover letter will be carefully reviewed to assess your educational background, relevant experience (particularly in Linux/Unix system administration), and alignment with the job requirements. Pay close attention to highlighting your scripting skills, experience with distributed systems, and any on-call support roles.

2. Online Assessment (Optional): Some candidates may be invited to complete an online assessment focusing on technical aptitude, Linux commands, scripting (Bash/Python), and fundamental SRE concepts. This helps in initial screening of a large applicant pool.

3. Technical Interview - Round 1 (Screening): This round usually focuses on your foundational knowledge in Linux/Unix system administration, command-line proficiency, basic networking, file systems, and process management. You might be asked to solve practical scenarios or explain core concepts.

4. Technical Interview - Round 2 (In-depth): This interview delves deeper into your experience with distributed systems (e.g., Galera, Nginx, Aerospike, ElasticSearch), Infrastructure as Code (Salt/Ansible), database concepts, and advanced scripting. Expect questions on troubleshooting production issues, incident management, and your approach to system reliability.

5. System Design / Problem Solving Interview (Optional for this level): For more experienced candidates or specific scenarios, this round might assess your ability to design scalable and reliable systems, understand trade-offs, and solve complex architectural challenges relevant to SRE.

6. Managerial/Behavioral Interview: This round typically evaluates your soft skills, cultural fit, ability to work in a team (especially in 24/7 shifts), communication skills, and how you handle pressure and critical situations. Your understanding of PhonePe’s mission and values will also be explored.

7. HR Interview: The final stage usually involves a discussion about your career aspirations, compensation expectations, notice period, and any other HR-related queries. This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions about company policies and benefits. Successful candidates will then receive an offer to join PhonePe and contribute to their high-performing SRE team.

How To Apply

Eligible candidates are invited to apply for the Service Delivery Engineer, SRE position at PhonePe by clicking on the 'Apply' link provided below. Ensure your resume highlights your Linux/Unix administration experience, scripting skills, and willingness for 24/7 rotational shifts.

FAQ

What is the primary role of a Service Delivery Engineer, SRE at PhonePe?

The primary role involves building, managing, and scaling PhonePe's production systems to ensure uninterrupted service across the country. This includes working with distributed systems, deploying vulnerability fixes, performing database maintenance, and providing on-call support to maintain system reliability and performance.

Is this role open to freshers from the 2024 batch?

Yes, this role is open to recent graduates from the 2024 batch. However, it specifically requires a minimum of 1-3 years of hands-on experience in Linux/Unix System Administration. Candidates with relevant internships, project experience, or prior roles that contribute to this experience range are encouraged to apply.

What kind of distributed systems will I be working with?

You will be working with critical distributed systems such as Galera, Nginx, Aerospike, ElasticSearch, and RMQ. Experience or a strong understanding of these or similar technologies is beneficial for this role.

Does this role involve working in shifts?

Yes, this role requires the candidate to be willing to work 24/7 rotational shifts and provide on-call support across the SRE Organisation to ensure continuous service availability and address critical production issues promptly.

What are the key technical skills required for this position?

Key technical skills include proficiency in Linux CLI tools, disk and LVM management, understanding of system services and package management, Crontab, DNS concepts, IaC tools like Salt/Ansible, database concepts, and strong Bash/Python scripting. Knowledge of MariaDB, Docker, Nginx, GIT, and basic networking/security concepts are a plus.

What are some of the benefits PhonePe offers to its employees?

PhonePe offers comprehensive benefits including various insurance coverages (Medical, Critical Illness, Accidental, Life), a wellness program, parental support benefits (Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Day-care), mobility benefits (Relocation, Transfer, Travel), retirement benefits (PF, Gratuity, NPS), and other perks like Higher Education Assistance, Car Lease, and Salary Advance Policy.

Where is the work location for this Service Delivery Engineer role?

The designated work location for this Service Delivery Engineer (SRE) position is Bangalore.